Study on the Distribution of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndromes in Patients with Type 2 Diabetic Retinopathy and Its Correlation with Serum Inflammatory Factors and Adiponectin Levels
Objective To investigate the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndromes in patients with type 2 diabetic retinopathy(T2DR)and to explore the correlation of TCM syndromes with serum inflammatory factors and adiponectin(APN)levels,so as to provide evidence for TCM syndrome differentiation of T2DR.Methods A cross-sectional case-control study was conducted in 42 patients(involving 84 eyes)diagnosed as T2DR in the Department of Ophthalmology,Ganzhou People's Hospital from September 2022 to March 2023.The correlation between fundus fluorescein angiography(FFA)staging and TCM syndrome differentiation in patients with T2DR was explored.The relationship between TCM syndrome types and serum levels of inflammatory factors and APN,as well as the differences in serum inflammatory factors and APN levels of the patients with various FFA stages were analyzed.The correlation between each variable and TCM syndrome types in patients with T2DR was investigated.Results(1)Among the 42 patients with T2DR,27 cases were male and 15 cases were female,and their age averaged(54.0±12.0)years old.Among them,14 cases(33.3%)were differentiated as liver-kidney deficiency with malnutrition of eye collateral syndrome,15 cases(35.7%)were differentiated as yin-essence deficiency with internal dry-heat syndrome,9 cases(21.4%)were differentiated as qi-yin deficiency with collateral stasis and obstruction syndrome,4 cases(9.5%)were differentiated as yin-yang deficiency with blood stasis and phlegm coagulation syndrome,and none case(0.0%)was differentiated as spleen dysfunction and water-damp obstruction syndrome.(2)FFA staging showed that FFA staging ≥ 4[i.e.,having proliferative diabetic retinopathy(PDR)]was found in 78.6%(11/14)of the patients with liver-kidney deficiency with malnutrition of eye collaterals syndrome,73.3%(11/15)of the patients with yin-essence deficiency with internal dry-heat syndrome,100%(9/9)of the patients with qi-yin deficiency with collateral stasis and obstruction syndrome,and 100%(4/4)of the patients with yin-yang deficiency with blood stasis and phlegm coagulation syndrome.But the intergroup comparison showed no significant differences among various syndrome types(P=0.272).(3)Among the 42 patients with T2DR,35 patients(83.3%)had higher level of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),28 patients(68.3%)had higher level of C-reactive protein(CRP)and 38 patients(90.5%)had higher level of glycosylated hemoglobin(HbA1c)than the normal.However,there was no significant difference in the levels of serum inflammatory factors of TNF-α,CRP,interleukin-6(IL-6)and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF),APN and HbA1c among the patients with different FFA stages(P>0.05),neither did the difference in serum APN,TNF-α,CRP,IL-6 and VEGF levels among the patients with different TCM syndrome types(P>0.05).(4)The correlation analysis showed that the patients with yin-yang deficiency with blood stasis and phlegm coagulation syndrome had a shorter course of eye diseases than the patients with liver-kidney deficiency with malnutrition of eye collaterals syndrome(r=-0.467,P=0.051),had higher CRP level than the patients with yin-essence deficiency with internal dry-heat syndrome(r=0.592,P=0.010),and had higher CRP level(r=0.668,P=0.013)and a longer course of diabetes(r=0.629,P=0.021)than the patients with qi-yin deficiency with collateral stasis and obstruction syndrome.Conclusion Increased serum TNF-α and CRP expressions are presented in the patients with T2DR.Liver-kidney deficiency with malnutrition of eye collaterals syndrome and yin-essence deficiency with internal dry-heat syndrome are the common syndromes in T2DR.Yin-yang deficiency with blood stasis and phlegm coagulation syndrome is closely correlated with CRP level,and the patients with yin-yang deficiency with blood stasis and phlegm coagulation syndrome have a longer course of diabetes.
type 2 diabetic retinopathytraditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome differentiationinflammatory factorsadiponectincorrelation